The Falcons have been up-and-down all year, and their reward for that inconsistency is a perfectly decent 3-3 record. That has them in the thick of the NFC South and the larger NFC, but it has also driven a lot of justified hand-wringing about the state of the offense in particular. These Falcons feel like they can be better than this.
A win over the Buccaneers won’t just move the Falcons to 4-3; it’ll also be an important step toward realizing that potential. Tampa Bay has been far better than I expected thus far and looks like a team set to stick around in the NFC South longer than the cratering Panthers or hapless Saints, which makes them Atlanta’s most potent competition both at the moment and perhaps all season long.